newbie to vinyl needs help


after alot of reading i finally took the plunge and picked up a vintage technics sl-bd22 turtable on the CHEAP..as in$35.... First thing i notice is WOW i like the sound...BUT.... There is a very noticeable and nasty distortion in certain upper freq. Mostly i hear it in voices "s" and "f" sounds and some cymbals. I have replaced the stylis with no improvement...I would replace the entire cartrige(audio tech.) however ive been told that they either work or they dont so replacing it wouldnt help. Im not sure if I just have a junk table or if the problem lies elsewhere....ANY advice is apreciated!

My equiptment...

Magnepan 1.7
Onkyo pr-sc 886 pre/pro (has phono imput)
Anthem mca5

Thanks in advance,
Randy
snookfisher
As Timeltel says, this turntable has a P-mount cartridge, so all the advice about VTF, overhang, alignment, adjusting anti-skate, and swapping to a standard 1/2" mount cartridge (e.g., Shure M97xE) does not apply. P-mount cartridges are plug'n'play. To be a P-mount cartridge it must conform in overall weight, geometry, compliance and therefore tracking force and anti-skate settings. Cleaning the contacts at the plug-in still applies however.

There are still some higher quality P-mount cartridges available. LPGear.com offers a wide variety of P-mount cartridges here. For $100 I think I'd go with the Ortofon 320, though several of the other offerings are good as well.

As others said, the distorted sound you're getting is probably from a dirty or damaged stylus or damaged records. Could also possibly be from a bad connection, which is why cleaning the contacts is a good idea.

Also, you said "you've been told they (cartridges) either work or they don't..." but you don't say who told you that. You can't believe everything you've been told, even by us. What is the make and model of the cartridge? You may need to clean the contacts where the cartridge plugs into the arm.

Do you have any new records to try out on this turntable?
Thanks for all the response...and sorry for the delay in responding.

Ive tried everything that applies (new record and cleaning contacts..even returned the stylus for a new one) and still have the problem... so here is what ive decided to do...in order to give vinyl a fair shake ive ordered a new pro-ject 1.3 table. Now i have another question....

Im thinking that the phono stage in my onkyo pre/pro probably isnt the best...so im considering buying the Bellari vp 130 tube phono preamp...for the reason just mentioned and the fact that to get any volume out of the old table im usnig i have to turnup the volume MUCH higher than any other source...also with the maggies i think the tube preamp will sound nice.....so what do you think...is the bellari a better way to go or should i stick with the onkyo's phono imput?
Snookfisher: Glad to see you back, good analog requires determination. Your comment about diminished volume indicates something isn't right, volume should be comparable with other sources. The pro-ject TT and Belario pre is a sensible entry and should tell you if vinyl is, for you, worth pursuing. What cartridge will you be using?